A Final Update
Well, it's time for a final post. Kind of makes your head spin, eh? For us, it's been fast and slow. Long and short. Never-ending and over too quick.
The "bests" of the trip (aside from the obvious addition to our family!) have been all the sightseeing and cultural learning we've done. It's certainly been eye-opening, as with any world travel. We've also made many new friends on this trip, and in a way - it's hard to leave all of them.
The "worsts" have been being apart from Quint, fighting illness the entire trip, missing certain foods, and not being able to sleep in a comfortable bed. All things that will soon be behind us...
Today is our last day in Guangzhou and we might keep it low-key. We're tired and depleted and ready to come home. There's not much left in us to "explore" at this point. I know it sounds pathetic, but after two weeks of traveling, we're sort of baked.
There have been a lot of highs on this trip, and we have just two more that I can think of:
Tomorrow we leave in the morning for Hong Kong, our last stop on this trip. We'll spend one afternoon there - sleep overnight at the airport hotel - and depart early the next morning for home. Anton is STOKED about returning to HK. He was there many years ago and absolutely loved it. We have a short amount of time to see the sights, but it will do.
Second, I think there is a certain "high" in walking out of Immigration once you're on US soil. We'll hit that mark sometime Saturday afternoon in Newark.
Once that's done, we return home and finally get a soft bed for our aging hips - ha!
Our time in China has certainly left an impression on us - and it's not been without some pain and error. We've also had some wonderful moments - in awe of the history and the culture, moved by the people, and certainly emotional about our journey that led us here in the first place.
For Keira, I think this transition has been very hard on her. No amount of hugs and kisses on this side of the map seem to be helping too much at this point. We see progress, but it's in small doses. We move forward a little and back a little each day. We recognize fully that she is still grieving. That she is still coming to terms with accepting us as her caretakers. The title of parents hasn't even begun to make its mark. The endearment of Mommy or Daddy is still a ways off. She has no idea what parents are - so trying to convince her that we are hers is moot. There is a certain level of having to come to grips with the ideal versus the reality. Ideally, we had imagined Keira would bond to us in much the same way Quint did. Which, was pretty much immediate. He was the same age, had the same background...same circumstances...and yet - the two are polar opposites. Realistically, Keira has not quite connected to us just yet. She's working on it - we can see that she is. I don't think until we get home and get some routine in her life will she start to trust us fully. Right now, we are on the go far too much and nothing stays the same for her. It's too much change for her little mind to understand. Coming home will begin the process of her finding safety in us. We are anxious for those moments to begin...
I am not one to sugar-coat. I could tell you it has been perfect, that we are head over heals in love, and that the trip has been amazing. Instead, I will be truthful and tell you that the trip has been wonderful, but flawed. We do love Keira, but we are still getting to know her. That will come with time. The trip has had moments that were amazing, but also moments that were almost unbearable, quite literally.
There is a lot of good...and a lot of really difficult.
Yesterday we went to the "swearing-in" ceremony at the US Consulate. There were 60 families present and it was an emotional time. As they declared us officially "done" with this process, Anton and I were weepy. And leaving that room, I cried. Because four years is a long time...and all we could think was "it's over...it's finally over...and life can move on"
I hope you'll continue to follow us over at our regular family blog "Bushel & a Peck". We'll be back in the states on Saturday night - and I'll try to post an update (albeit brief) on Sunday at some point.
Please pray for our (still poor) health (we already have doctor appointments scheduled for all three of us) and for safe travels back home. We're not particularly looking forward to the 20 + hours of travel we're facing on Saturday, but we're so excited to get home and see our BOY!! Yay!
Thank you so much for following us...for loving on us, for sending all those wonderful and supportive comments and e-mails. For keeping us lifted up when we were down and for encouraging us when the wait seemed like it would never end. Thank you thank you thank you...
We are so grateful ~
Until we're home again,
Christie & Anton
The "bests" of the trip (aside from the obvious addition to our family!) have been all the sightseeing and cultural learning we've done. It's certainly been eye-opening, as with any world travel. We've also made many new friends on this trip, and in a way - it's hard to leave all of them.
The "worsts" have been being apart from Quint, fighting illness the entire trip, missing certain foods, and not being able to sleep in a comfortable bed. All things that will soon be behind us...
Today is our last day in Guangzhou and we might keep it low-key. We're tired and depleted and ready to come home. There's not much left in us to "explore" at this point. I know it sounds pathetic, but after two weeks of traveling, we're sort of baked.
There have been a lot of highs on this trip, and we have just two more that I can think of:
Tomorrow we leave in the morning for Hong Kong, our last stop on this trip. We'll spend one afternoon there - sleep overnight at the airport hotel - and depart early the next morning for home. Anton is STOKED about returning to HK. He was there many years ago and absolutely loved it. We have a short amount of time to see the sights, but it will do.
Second, I think there is a certain "high" in walking out of Immigration once you're on US soil. We'll hit that mark sometime Saturday afternoon in Newark.
Once that's done, we return home and finally get a soft bed for our aging hips - ha!
Our time in China has certainly left an impression on us - and it's not been without some pain and error. We've also had some wonderful moments - in awe of the history and the culture, moved by the people, and certainly emotional about our journey that led us here in the first place.
For Keira, I think this transition has been very hard on her. No amount of hugs and kisses on this side of the map seem to be helping too much at this point. We see progress, but it's in small doses. We move forward a little and back a little each day. We recognize fully that she is still grieving. That she is still coming to terms with accepting us as her caretakers. The title of parents hasn't even begun to make its mark. The endearment of Mommy or Daddy is still a ways off. She has no idea what parents are - so trying to convince her that we are hers is moot. There is a certain level of having to come to grips with the ideal versus the reality. Ideally, we had imagined Keira would bond to us in much the same way Quint did. Which, was pretty much immediate. He was the same age, had the same background...same circumstances...and yet - the two are polar opposites. Realistically, Keira has not quite connected to us just yet. She's working on it - we can see that she is. I don't think until we get home and get some routine in her life will she start to trust us fully. Right now, we are on the go far too much and nothing stays the same for her. It's too much change for her little mind to understand. Coming home will begin the process of her finding safety in us. We are anxious for those moments to begin...
I am not one to sugar-coat. I could tell you it has been perfect, that we are head over heals in love, and that the trip has been amazing. Instead, I will be truthful and tell you that the trip has been wonderful, but flawed. We do love Keira, but we are still getting to know her. That will come with time. The trip has had moments that were amazing, but also moments that were almost unbearable, quite literally.
There is a lot of good...and a lot of really difficult.
Yesterday we went to the "swearing-in" ceremony at the US Consulate. There were 60 families present and it was an emotional time. As they declared us officially "done" with this process, Anton and I were weepy. And leaving that room, I cried. Because four years is a long time...and all we could think was "it's over...it's finally over...and life can move on"
I hope you'll continue to follow us over at our regular family blog "Bushel & a Peck". We'll be back in the states on Saturday night - and I'll try to post an update (albeit brief) on Sunday at some point.
Please pray for our (still poor) health (we already have doctor appointments scheduled for all three of us) and for safe travels back home. We're not particularly looking forward to the 20 + hours of travel we're facing on Saturday, but we're so excited to get home and see our BOY!! Yay!
Thank you so much for following us...for loving on us, for sending all those wonderful and supportive comments and e-mails. For keeping us lifted up when we were down and for encouraging us when the wait seemed like it would never end. Thank you thank you thank you...
We are so grateful ~
Until we're home again,
Christie & Anton
REMINDER!!!!
We will be starting our LIVE webcast in about 15 minutes!!! Just go here:
website: www.justin.tv/theatregeekbucher
Time: Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 7 PM Central Time (It will be 9 AM on Wednesday morning for us.)
You do NOT need to login to Justin.tv to chat with us! Just type in the window!
Anton
Just a quick update
We're enjoying Guangzhou and all it has to offer - which at this point has meant the ability to venture out on our own a little bit more than we had before. We've been all over the place on foot!
The island is lovely, and were it not for all of the buildings covered in scaffolding, we think it would be gorgeous. They're cleaning up for some type of "games" - so everything is being treated to a makeover of sorts. Tonight we had dinner at Cow & Bridge - which is Thai food. Omg. YUM. Loved it, Erin!
I've uploaded a couple of albums - one yesterday and one today. Hope you'll enjoy my commentaries!
Two quick things to ask for prayer for: Keira had an episode of regression today. Lasted for just over an hour and it was like Rosemary's Baby had taken up residence. Since all efforts at comfort/medicinal/food/etc. had failed, we finally had the "aha" moment and just sat bewildered while she cried, feeling helpless. Of course, she's still grieving in her way - and we want her to have that. Many of the babies are having similar episodes and freaking out their new parents as well. We feel better knowing we're not alone, but would appreciate all your good prayers for Keira to heal.
Second, I (Christie) remain terribly ill. I have moments of feeling quite sorry for myself, since it took so long to get here, and I'm wrestling so much with my health. Boo! I have what appears to be bronchitis - and it is darn near killing me. Everything hurts from coughing so much. It's hard to breathe. It's hard to walk along the streets and not feel like I'm gonna keel over. I'm very short of breath, and the coughing is constant. Every night I have a slight temperature. Could you say a quick prayer that I would heal? I'm so down in my spirit from feeling so lousy. It's so hard to truly enjoy yourself when you're so miserable. This has been a very big challenge.
Anyway, we have such full days from start to finish that it's very hard to find down time to update, and post pictures, and video. I'm working on it - honest! Bear with me!
Tomorrow we head to a garden and a toy market. Should be interesting!
Don't forget Anton's post below - if the internet will cooperate, we'll have a live broadcast from China on Wednesday evening at 7pm CST. You'll be able to see and hear all three of us - and we'll be able to answer your questions via chat - tune in! For more details and the web address to join us, see the post below.
Now go look at those pictures, and forgive how I'm looking these days...yikes!
Hugs,
Christie & Anton
The island is lovely, and were it not for all of the buildings covered in scaffolding, we think it would be gorgeous. They're cleaning up for some type of "games" - so everything is being treated to a makeover of sorts. Tonight we had dinner at Cow & Bridge - which is Thai food. Omg. YUM. Loved it, Erin!
I've uploaded a couple of albums - one yesterday and one today. Hope you'll enjoy my commentaries!
Two quick things to ask for prayer for: Keira had an episode of regression today. Lasted for just over an hour and it was like Rosemary's Baby had taken up residence. Since all efforts at comfort/medicinal/food/etc. had failed, we finally had the "aha" moment and just sat bewildered while she cried, feeling helpless. Of course, she's still grieving in her way - and we want her to have that. Many of the babies are having similar episodes and freaking out their new parents as well. We feel better knowing we're not alone, but would appreciate all your good prayers for Keira to heal.
Second, I (Christie) remain terribly ill. I have moments of feeling quite sorry for myself, since it took so long to get here, and I'm wrestling so much with my health. Boo! I have what appears to be bronchitis - and it is darn near killing me. Everything hurts from coughing so much. It's hard to breathe. It's hard to walk along the streets and not feel like I'm gonna keel over. I'm very short of breath, and the coughing is constant. Every night I have a slight temperature. Could you say a quick prayer that I would heal? I'm so down in my spirit from feeling so lousy. It's so hard to truly enjoy yourself when you're so miserable. This has been a very big challenge.
Anyway, we have such full days from start to finish that it's very hard to find down time to update, and post pictures, and video. I'm working on it - honest! Bear with me!
Tomorrow we head to a garden and a toy market. Should be interesting!
Don't forget Anton's post below - if the internet will cooperate, we'll have a live broadcast from China on Wednesday evening at 7pm CST. You'll be able to see and hear all three of us - and we'll be able to answer your questions via chat - tune in! For more details and the web address to join us, see the post below.
Now go look at those pictures, and forgive how I'm looking these days...yikes!
Hugs,
Christie & Anton
AB Taking Over For A Moment ...
An Announcement from AB!
We are going to be trying some hi-tech chicanery, and would like you to be a part of the … um … chincaning … yeah, that’s the word.
On Tuesday night – that’s Tuesday night over there for you people in the USA – we will be broadcasting on a internet TV Channel over at Justin.tv. We figured it would be a way for everyone to ask us questions on how we are doing, and we can tell you what is happening in our world, half way around the world.
There is a lot that will have to work out right on our end … most specifically, a good internet connection that can broadcast fast enough. But, if it does work, we will be able to just talk to you, while you ask us questions via a chat window.
I am working on getting everything set up in our studio (hotel room) and the talent will have been prepped (KJ will have her diaper changed, and dressed up to Mommy’s standard of “cute”) (And Christie and I aren’t worried about it, because no one is going to be tuning in to see us, anyway.). Hopefully, it will all fall in place, and we will get to … um … read from you, and you get to see us, on Tuesday night!
Don’t worry – Christie will be posting back again here soon, and more pics and VIDEOS – made especially for you guys – will be up soon.
Thanks to all for your support,
Anton
The details:
website: www.justin.tv/theatregeekbucher
Time: Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 7 PM Central Time (It will be 9 AM on Wednesday morning for us.)
You will be able to see and hear us … and there will be a chat window!
You can ask us questions, as we talk about our experiences in . Any questions you have, just type them in, and we will gladly answer them for you.
We have set it up so that you do not have to register with justin.tv. You can just type in the chat window. All that we ask is that you state your NAME first every time you type in something, so that we know who is asking us a question.
Another note – the chat is instant, but there is about a 10 second delay in the video … so you will need to be a little patient.
Guangzhou Finally
We made it - whew! Another long day of traveling, but we're settled and sound in our new location (Guangzhou) and hotel, The White Swan.
My been there done that friends can attest to the following: the hotel is GORGEOUS! Indoor waterfalls and all kinds of trees and plants...I'll have to take pictures and post them. The room is very nice, and we have an amazing view of the river. The window in our room is humongous so we get to see so much. Just beautiful!
Not sure if I've mentioned this, but the air quality up to this point has been very poor. I thought LA had bad smog...holy cow - this blows LA out of the water. When the plane landed in Beijing, we didn't even know when we were landing...because all you could see was right around you - which was pure white. Same thing for Changsha. Visibility - zero. Totally and completely saturated in smog. Too many old cars with no emissions regulations, and too many smokers...everywhere smokers. We would look out of our 31st story room and see only the buildings closest to the hotel. Beyond that was a white haze. Breathing was hard on all of us - all nine families complained of burning in their lungs, sore throats, and coughing excessively. For Anton and I, who have bronchitis - it's been a challenge to say the least. When we start our hacking, it's hard to stop. Even in a restuarant, there was not a no-smoking section. Only smoking. Explanation from the waitress? "The Chinese like to smoke, so only smoking..." Yeah. Ahem.
Imagine my relief and joy when we landed in Guangzhou today and we could see sky. We haven't seen the sky for 9 days. The air is much, much cleaner here. And the island that hotel sits on has very few cars on it - unlike the last two cities which were complete mayhem. The driving was nuts! It's a sit down and hold on for the ride type of adventure. Here, there are lovely gardens, pathways, and lovely buildings. Oh! And a Starbucks around the corner from the hotel...I'm. so. Happy.
Tonight we ate at a wonderful place called "Lucy's" and it was tasty! Several families got a taste of home with fries, burgers, spaghetti, etc. For some reason, Anton and I both ordered Asian food.
There is a 7-Eleven across the street. So strange to see that here! Oh, and a Subway around the corner. Lots of little shops, and neat places to check out throughout the coming week. We're excited!
Tomorrow we visit a local Family Temple - which is more or less a museum of sorts. I'm really looking forward to it - Anton and I are really enjoying the cultural lessons. It's fascinating!
Little Miss Princess is doing really well. We're getting to know her needs/wants/cry's and it's making life easier for us. We're getting a bit of a schedule down, and learning what she needs and when she needs it. I'm pretty sure that we have a ways to go with the bonding - but I will say that we've come miles from the first few days. She's laughing and smiling with us a lot more. She did great on the plane ride today, and only cried on landing - but I think her ears were bothering her.
We think she's doing an amazing job! She's had so much change for her in the last week - and now we're in a new hotel and a new city - I'm feeling protective of her. At least Anton and I are consistent for her right now - and that might help her feel safe with us.
We are totally hook, line, and sinker over her. Can't wait to come home and really get comfortable with her. It's so hard living out of a suitcase for something this big, you know?
Well, China is incredible - and we're certainly getting an amazing life experience to go with our big life change. I think we'll carry these days in our hearts for many, many years.
You prayers are so appreciated - truly. In the tough moments we rely on the truth that so many are lifting us up. And your comments - make us laugh and make us feel loved. Thank you so much for reaching out to us day after day on this journey - it means so much!
More to come after the Temple Visit and our first real day in Guangzhou!
xo
Christie & Anton
P.S. We're missing our son x 1,000,000 - ouch...
My been there done that friends can attest to the following: the hotel is GORGEOUS! Indoor waterfalls and all kinds of trees and plants...I'll have to take pictures and post them. The room is very nice, and we have an amazing view of the river. The window in our room is humongous so we get to see so much. Just beautiful!
Not sure if I've mentioned this, but the air quality up to this point has been very poor. I thought LA had bad smog...holy cow - this blows LA out of the water. When the plane landed in Beijing, we didn't even know when we were landing...because all you could see was right around you - which was pure white. Same thing for Changsha. Visibility - zero. Totally and completely saturated in smog. Too many old cars with no emissions regulations, and too many smokers...everywhere smokers. We would look out of our 31st story room and see only the buildings closest to the hotel. Beyond that was a white haze. Breathing was hard on all of us - all nine families complained of burning in their lungs, sore throats, and coughing excessively. For Anton and I, who have bronchitis - it's been a challenge to say the least. When we start our hacking, it's hard to stop. Even in a restuarant, there was not a no-smoking section. Only smoking. Explanation from the waitress? "The Chinese like to smoke, so only smoking..." Yeah. Ahem.
Imagine my relief and joy when we landed in Guangzhou today and we could see sky. We haven't seen the sky for 9 days. The air is much, much cleaner here. And the island that hotel sits on has very few cars on it - unlike the last two cities which were complete mayhem. The driving was nuts! It's a sit down and hold on for the ride type of adventure. Here, there are lovely gardens, pathways, and lovely buildings. Oh! And a Starbucks around the corner from the hotel...I'm. so. Happy.
Tonight we ate at a wonderful place called "Lucy's" and it was tasty! Several families got a taste of home with fries, burgers, spaghetti, etc. For some reason, Anton and I both ordered Asian food.
There is a 7-Eleven across the street. So strange to see that here! Oh, and a Subway around the corner. Lots of little shops, and neat places to check out throughout the coming week. We're excited!
Tomorrow we visit a local Family Temple - which is more or less a museum of sorts. I'm really looking forward to it - Anton and I are really enjoying the cultural lessons. It's fascinating!
Little Miss Princess is doing really well. We're getting to know her needs/wants/cry's and it's making life easier for us. We're getting a bit of a schedule down, and learning what she needs and when she needs it. I'm pretty sure that we have a ways to go with the bonding - but I will say that we've come miles from the first few days. She's laughing and smiling with us a lot more. She did great on the plane ride today, and only cried on landing - but I think her ears were bothering her.
We think she's doing an amazing job! She's had so much change for her in the last week - and now we're in a new hotel and a new city - I'm feeling protective of her. At least Anton and I are consistent for her right now - and that might help her feel safe with us.
We are totally hook, line, and sinker over her. Can't wait to come home and really get comfortable with her. It's so hard living out of a suitcase for something this big, you know?
Well, China is incredible - and we're certainly getting an amazing life experience to go with our big life change. I think we'll carry these days in our hearts for many, many years.
You prayers are so appreciated - truly. In the tough moments we rely on the truth that so many are lifting us up. And your comments - make us laugh and make us feel loved. Thank you so much for reaching out to us day after day on this journey - it means so much!
More to come after the Temple Visit and our first real day in Guangzhou!
xo
Christie & Anton
P.S. We're missing our son x 1,000,000 - ouch...
On to Gunagzhou
Day nine of travel is over. Whew! Eight more to go before we head home. We just finished our last day in Keira's homeland of Hunan Province, and tomorrow morning we fly to Guangzhou.
We also made it through Day 5 of being new parents - and I'm happy to report we had a great day!
I've uploaded pictures with detailed descriptions to give you some insight into today and what we did. So I won't bore you with the repeat details here. Make sure you go take a peek!
Keira seems to be doing really well. She seems to have turned a corner, but we keep saying we're not going to hold our breath just yet. We have to change environments tomorrow, and we'll see how she handles her first flight and a new hotel/location. Pray for all of us!
She's really opening up her personality to us and I can see why they said she's "outgoing" and "happy". I really believe that she is both of those things...and it's such a wonderful gift to see them blooming anew each day.
We're working hard to earn her love and trust, and we know it takes time when you have been through what she has. Even in those sweet eyes, I can see how badly she wants to trust us - but her little heart is just unsure. Can you blame her? Poor baby...what a start to her short life. I don't envy her those rough beginnings. Still, Anton and I are warming up to her as well more and more each day. As I've said, those first few days were difficult, but as her character and personality have been revealed little by little, we've found our days getting easier and easier. We laugh, we play...we hug and kiss and stare at her for hours, all the while whispering to her "we love you little one...we're here for you for always...we're your family...you're our daughter...we love you..." Our prayer is that each moment we're together, those truths will seep further into her broken heart and begin to mend the hurt living there.
Seeing her smile is like sunshine - I can't even convey it in words. She has a BIG smile and a lovely belly laugh we could listen to all day. She has a gorgeous dimple in her right cheek - and if we're lucky we get to see it several times a day now. She has eyes that light up and she loves to "stand up" with our help and bounce, all the while jibber-jabbering. So sweet it would melt the coldest heart.
So all this to say that we're taking one day at a time. Learning and feeling our way together. We love her - you couldn't avoid it if you tried. She is too sweet...too good...too perfect for us. God sets the lonely in families...He really, really does. It's amazing over and over again to see it in our life. We are blessed...
More to come from our next stop, Guangzhou!
Hugs,
Christie & Anton
We also made it through Day 5 of being new parents - and I'm happy to report we had a great day!
I've uploaded pictures with detailed descriptions to give you some insight into today and what we did. So I won't bore you with the repeat details here. Make sure you go take a peek!
Keira seems to be doing really well. She seems to have turned a corner, but we keep saying we're not going to hold our breath just yet. We have to change environments tomorrow, and we'll see how she handles her first flight and a new hotel/location. Pray for all of us!
She's really opening up her personality to us and I can see why they said she's "outgoing" and "happy". I really believe that she is both of those things...and it's such a wonderful gift to see them blooming anew each day.
We're working hard to earn her love and trust, and we know it takes time when you have been through what she has. Even in those sweet eyes, I can see how badly she wants to trust us - but her little heart is just unsure. Can you blame her? Poor baby...what a start to her short life. I don't envy her those rough beginnings. Still, Anton and I are warming up to her as well more and more each day. As I've said, those first few days were difficult, but as her character and personality have been revealed little by little, we've found our days getting easier and easier. We laugh, we play...we hug and kiss and stare at her for hours, all the while whispering to her "we love you little one...we're here for you for always...we're your family...you're our daughter...we love you..." Our prayer is that each moment we're together, those truths will seep further into her broken heart and begin to mend the hurt living there.
Seeing her smile is like sunshine - I can't even convey it in words. She has a BIG smile and a lovely belly laugh we could listen to all day. She has a gorgeous dimple in her right cheek - and if we're lucky we get to see it several times a day now. She has eyes that light up and she loves to "stand up" with our help and bounce, all the while jibber-jabbering. So sweet it would melt the coldest heart.
So all this to say that we're taking one day at a time. Learning and feeling our way together. We love her - you couldn't avoid it if you tried. She is too sweet...too good...too perfect for us. God sets the lonely in families...He really, really does. It's amazing over and over again to see it in our life. We are blessed...
More to come from our next stop, Guangzhou!
Hugs,
Christie & Anton
Short but sweet
I have to keep this brief - because it's 11pm over here and I've got to get some rest. On the other hand, I try to save my updates/pictures for the end of the day, so that you all will get them in the morning.
Today we visited a local museum with the scariest looking "mummy" I've ever seen in my life. Totally interesting and fascinating to go through and soak up some of the history of the region we're in - but that mummy...oh my. Scary.
We also went on a group dinner and the food was fabulous - local and very inexpensive. However, upon returning to the hotel, Anton and I were both having some tummy trouble. This is because the food was oh so spicy...and we are wimpy Americans. Ha!
I've uploaded some new pictures, so be sure to check those out, and their descriptions.
Overall, it was a good day for Keira - I won't elaborate too much, because I'm simply exhausted. But I can tell you that she seems to have turned a corner. Seems to. I'm not going to put that in the bank just yet, but we might have made some progress that is sticking. Those first three days were flat out painful - I don't even like seeing the pictures. I know, I know...but it's the truth. It's hard to even see those days again, let alone think about them. I
She is laughing with us, smiling a lot more, coo-ing, gibberish that is adorable...eating better, still having good...errm..."diapers". So we're seeing a lot of good things - and it's very encouraging.
More and more we can see the little girl behind the trauma. And friends, she's so worth it. She's amazing...
She's a beautiful and sweet baby, and she's starting to let us see her more and more. We're beginning to see how she will fit so well into our family and we can't wait to come home and start really getting to know her.
Please continue to pray for us - you are all amazing and we feel your love and prayers! I'm so sorry to our family and to friends that we have not called. It's been a challenge and we love and miss you - please know that! We're just still running on empty and making sure we're taking care of Keira and ourselves as much as we can.
More to come!
Christie & Anton
Today we visited a local museum with the scariest looking "mummy" I've ever seen in my life. Totally interesting and fascinating to go through and soak up some of the history of the region we're in - but that mummy...oh my. Scary.
We also went on a group dinner and the food was fabulous - local and very inexpensive. However, upon returning to the hotel, Anton and I were both having some tummy trouble. This is because the food was oh so spicy...and we are wimpy Americans. Ha!
I've uploaded some new pictures, so be sure to check those out, and their descriptions.
Overall, it was a good day for Keira - I won't elaborate too much, because I'm simply exhausted. But I can tell you that she seems to have turned a corner. Seems to. I'm not going to put that in the bank just yet, but we might have made some progress that is sticking. Those first three days were flat out painful - I don't even like seeing the pictures. I know, I know...but it's the truth. It's hard to even see those days again, let alone think about them. I
She is laughing with us, smiling a lot more, coo-ing, gibberish that is adorable...eating better, still having good...errm..."diapers". So we're seeing a lot of good things - and it's very encouraging.
More and more we can see the little girl behind the trauma. And friends, she's so worth it. She's amazing...
She's a beautiful and sweet baby, and she's starting to let us see her more and more. We're beginning to see how she will fit so well into our family and we can't wait to come home and start really getting to know her.
Please continue to pray for us - you are all amazing and we feel your love and prayers! I'm so sorry to our family and to friends that we have not called. It's been a challenge and we love and miss you - please know that! We're just still running on empty and making sure we're taking care of Keira and ourselves as much as we can.
More to come!
Christie & Anton
Glimpses of our girl
Thank you for your prayers and kindness through comments and e-mails. We are so comforted by them and they have been very helpful - so very.
I'll start with telling you that today was a better day on the scale of days. The morning started out rough. She was not feeling the love. Literally.
But as the day progressed, she did start to slowly open up, just a bit. We're getting glimpses of the little girl that's in there...under the hurt. She has a dimple and it would melt your heart. She actually smiled in her eyes for me today...and I caught it a picture, which I'll have to upload for you all.
We had our first real bath - and she seemed to really enjoy herself. This also seemed to help with some bonding.
She has started opening up a little bit to me (Christie) and smiling. This was a slow process and it was very fleeting, it seemed. Mostly I got either the curious stare or the wrinkled forehead look. Very cute, but you could see she was still trying to figure us out.
She hit a wall around 4 - same as yesterday. Something set her off, who knows what. She was hysterical. We checked off the list of discomforts and realized we were facing another episode of grief.
Rather than engage the crying, I held her loosely...walked her around the room, sang to her...wiped her eyes...told her I was here...that I would always be here. That I loved her. That she was safe. I rubbed her back gently. Within minutes (rather than hours) she had calmed down. She had stopped her frantic crying. We were so relieved...but cautious that it would come back.
Instead, as nighttime came, she got the giggles. She was happy, cooing, playing...and wonder of wonders...laughing. Out loud. Belly laughing. The contagious kind.
We played on the bed and walked around. She talked and talked (baby gibberish of the cutest variety) and held onto my hair. When we would walk in front of the fan, she would start laughing. Then it became a game...walk in front of it...giggle giggle giggle...over and over.
Usually when I put her down for bedtime, she just lays her head down and falls asleep after a couple of minutes. Tonight, she cried. Hard.
It didn't take me long to run to her and pick her up. Soothe her. Love on her. She immediately stopped crying. She didn't cuddle in to me, but she had "called" for me. In her way, she said "you, over there...come and get me! I'm upset!" and I came. And she liked that. A lot. The difference being that before, she didn't want me to begin with. So if she cried and I picked her up, it didn't necessarily do anything for her. Other than make her madder. This time, she allowed herself to be comforted.
We might be getting somewhere...
We were so pleased with how the day went overall. It was a much better day than yesterday. Miles better than the day before that.
For tomorrow - I don't know. We'll just have to take it one day at a time. Tomorrow we could be back to heavy grieving. It scares me, but I'm hopeful that we're moving forward.
We have lowered our expectations. They were way too high to begin with. We've decided to give her room and space. To let her become used to just having us in the room with her...in her space. To be gentler, kinder, more patient, more loving - all the while giving her the time she needs. Not expecting her to come to us as if she hadn't just lived the last seven months...as if she hadn't experienced two abandonments in those short seven months.
We are OK. So many of you are praying for us, and I can't tell you what that means to us. We feel truly held up...
We did visit Wal-Mart today. No, I'm serious. Wal-Mart is in China. And I'll post some pictures later so that you can see what that actually translates to over here. Oh mah gah...
Tomorrow we head out to a local museum - so we're looking forward to that outing. It's hard to be cooped up in the hotel room for hours on end.
Thinking of you all back home and feeling glad that we've almost made the halfway point of our trip!
Love and hugs,
Christie & Anton
I'll start with telling you that today was a better day on the scale of days. The morning started out rough. She was not feeling the love. Literally.
But as the day progressed, she did start to slowly open up, just a bit. We're getting glimpses of the little girl that's in there...under the hurt. She has a dimple and it would melt your heart. She actually smiled in her eyes for me today...and I caught it a picture, which I'll have to upload for you all.
We had our first real bath - and she seemed to really enjoy herself. This also seemed to help with some bonding.
She has started opening up a little bit to me (Christie) and smiling. This was a slow process and it was very fleeting, it seemed. Mostly I got either the curious stare or the wrinkled forehead look. Very cute, but you could see she was still trying to figure us out.
She hit a wall around 4 - same as yesterday. Something set her off, who knows what. She was hysterical. We checked off the list of discomforts and realized we were facing another episode of grief.
Rather than engage the crying, I held her loosely...walked her around the room, sang to her...wiped her eyes...told her I was here...that I would always be here. That I loved her. That she was safe. I rubbed her back gently. Within minutes (rather than hours) she had calmed down. She had stopped her frantic crying. We were so relieved...but cautious that it would come back.
Instead, as nighttime came, she got the giggles. She was happy, cooing, playing...and wonder of wonders...laughing. Out loud. Belly laughing. The contagious kind.
We played on the bed and walked around. She talked and talked (baby gibberish of the cutest variety) and held onto my hair. When we would walk in front of the fan, she would start laughing. Then it became a game...walk in front of it...giggle giggle giggle...over and over.
Usually when I put her down for bedtime, she just lays her head down and falls asleep after a couple of minutes. Tonight, she cried. Hard.
It didn't take me long to run to her and pick her up. Soothe her. Love on her. She immediately stopped crying. She didn't cuddle in to me, but she had "called" for me. In her way, she said "you, over there...come and get me! I'm upset!" and I came. And she liked that. A lot. The difference being that before, she didn't want me to begin with. So if she cried and I picked her up, it didn't necessarily do anything for her. Other than make her madder. This time, she allowed herself to be comforted.
We might be getting somewhere...
We were so pleased with how the day went overall. It was a much better day than yesterday. Miles better than the day before that.
For tomorrow - I don't know. We'll just have to take it one day at a time. Tomorrow we could be back to heavy grieving. It scares me, but I'm hopeful that we're moving forward.
We have lowered our expectations. They were way too high to begin with. We've decided to give her room and space. To let her become used to just having us in the room with her...in her space. To be gentler, kinder, more patient, more loving - all the while giving her the time she needs. Not expecting her to come to us as if she hadn't just lived the last seven months...as if she hadn't experienced two abandonments in those short seven months.
We are OK. So many of you are praying for us, and I can't tell you what that means to us. We feel truly held up...
We did visit Wal-Mart today. No, I'm serious. Wal-Mart is in China. And I'll post some pictures later so that you can see what that actually translates to over here. Oh mah gah...
Tomorrow we head out to a local museum - so we're looking forward to that outing. It's hard to be cooped up in the hotel room for hours on end.
Thinking of you all back home and feeling glad that we've almost made the halfway point of our trip!
Love and hugs,
Christie & Anton
Relapsive and Remissive Moments
As many of you know, I absolutely refuse to sugar-coat. Sometimes, I try to give the good so that others won't worry. But now we need your prayers.
We're dealing with a relapsive/remissive situation over here. Keira will be fine for a while - even laughing or cooing as some of you have seen on the video we posted, and then suddenly begin grieving terribly for a long period of hours.
Yesterday was a great day, until around 5:00pm. Keira was doing so well...and then boom. Complete and utter regression. It was so sad. She screamed hysterically for almost three hours straight. She arcs her back away, won't let us touch her as much as possible, won't look at us. It certainly takes its toll... We're only human, we remind ourselves. It's hard and it's to be expected that we would be sad and even feel helpless and frustrated - but we've been beating ourselves up for feeling these things.
This morning she was in the same place. Sad, removed, not making eye contact, not wanting to be held by either of us. Just wanting to be left alone. Which of course, we can't do.
It's in these moments that the darkness is breathtaking. We would covet your prayers...
Each child in our group of nine families is dealing with grief heavily. We are not alone. The most startling thing is that each of the children were clearly loved or cared for well. No one seems "tiny". No one seem underfed. No one seems under-loved. All good things, but the heartbreak of seeing them devastated over and over again as they come to terms with us - it's just sometimes more than we can bear.
Last night, like "sun-downers" syndrome - fine during the day, huge regression at night - each of the children started to grieve. Several of us had to miss the group dinner, opting instead for quiet time at the hotel. Instead of quiet, there was the sound of grieved cries throughout the hallway of Floor 31 of the Dalton Hotel. Grieved, grieved cries... And not just those of the babies.
The parents are hurting as well. Hurting because we hoped for the best and tried to prepare for the worst...but all the while assuming things would be fine and work themselves out with little to no issue. But in this situation, all of us are facing hard moments where the babies want nothing to do with us or cry and grieve so hard. It's heartbreaking as a parent. To be rejected on any level when you have so much love to give.
I want you to know that this post is written honestly and from the heart. Not to be negative, but to be open. Not to discourage or cause worry, but to reach out. We're on the other side of the world and everything is different. We're navigating a huge life change, the deep grief of our new daughter, the trials of parenthood, and the challenges of travel all from the pocket of a small hotel room.
Bear with us as we learn and grow...and give you truth through our posts. We need now more than ever, support and calming encouraging words from home.
With love and hope for continued healing and understanding,
Christie & Anton
We're dealing with a relapsive/remissive situation over here. Keira will be fine for a while - even laughing or cooing as some of you have seen on the video we posted, and then suddenly begin grieving terribly for a long period of hours.
Yesterday was a great day, until around 5:00pm. Keira was doing so well...and then boom. Complete and utter regression. It was so sad. She screamed hysterically for almost three hours straight. She arcs her back away, won't let us touch her as much as possible, won't look at us. It certainly takes its toll... We're only human, we remind ourselves. It's hard and it's to be expected that we would be sad and even feel helpless and frustrated - but we've been beating ourselves up for feeling these things.
This morning she was in the same place. Sad, removed, not making eye contact, not wanting to be held by either of us. Just wanting to be left alone. Which of course, we can't do.
It's in these moments that the darkness is breathtaking. We would covet your prayers...
Each child in our group of nine families is dealing with grief heavily. We are not alone. The most startling thing is that each of the children were clearly loved or cared for well. No one seems "tiny". No one seem underfed. No one seems under-loved. All good things, but the heartbreak of seeing them devastated over and over again as they come to terms with us - it's just sometimes more than we can bear.
Last night, like "sun-downers" syndrome - fine during the day, huge regression at night - each of the children started to grieve. Several of us had to miss the group dinner, opting instead for quiet time at the hotel. Instead of quiet, there was the sound of grieved cries throughout the hallway of Floor 31 of the Dalton Hotel. Grieved, grieved cries... And not just those of the babies.
The parents are hurting as well. Hurting because we hoped for the best and tried to prepare for the worst...but all the while assuming things would be fine and work themselves out with little to no issue. But in this situation, all of us are facing hard moments where the babies want nothing to do with us or cry and grieve so hard. It's heartbreaking as a parent. To be rejected on any level when you have so much love to give.
I want you to know that this post is written honestly and from the heart. Not to be negative, but to be open. Not to discourage or cause worry, but to reach out. We're on the other side of the world and everything is different. We're navigating a huge life change, the deep grief of our new daughter, the trials of parenthood, and the challenges of travel all from the pocket of a small hotel room.
Bear with us as we learn and grow...and give you truth through our posts. We need now more than ever, support and calming encouraging words from home.
With love and hope for continued healing and understanding,
Christie & Anton
Baby Steps
Just a quick update to let everyone know that Keira seems to be feeling better already! Have you been praying, or what?
She slept through the night (10 hours!) with no fussing. This morning around 5am she woke up with a good diaper...a...ermm..."solid" diaper, if you will. Small, but solid. We'll take it. A little bit later, another one. Yay for...ermm...solid stuff.
With a little persistence and after 20 hours, she finally drank most of a bottle. Thank you, Lord! What a relief to see her eating.
Afterward we were able to have some sweet time on the bed together - the three of us - talking and coo-ing and touching. We started to see a little bit of smiling. Just a tiny bit...a hint...and it was like liquid gold for us.
When she started to fuss (not cry...big difference from yesterday) I had the feeling she was tired, so I laid her down on her tummy and she was out in seconds. Amazing!
We're feeling our way in the dark with her still...it's been a rough twenty-four hours, but we're seeing some light already.
We'll leave to get breakfast in a bit, and then we're off to the Civil Affairs Office to do all of our paperwork.
If you would, continue to pray for us and for Keira. We'll be in transition mode for a while, probably several months - but these first few days and weeks together are so important for our bonding. Anton and I are still struggling with health issues, so everything feels harder - just being under the weather.
We so appreciate all the wonderful comments and support and encouraging e-mails! It's such a joy to read them and feel held up from the other side of the world.
More soon!
-Christie & Anton
She slept through the night (10 hours!) with no fussing. This morning around 5am she woke up with a good diaper...a...ermm..."solid" diaper, if you will. Small, but solid. We'll take it. A little bit later, another one. Yay for...ermm...solid stuff.
With a little persistence and after 20 hours, she finally drank most of a bottle. Thank you, Lord! What a relief to see her eating.
Afterward we were able to have some sweet time on the bed together - the three of us - talking and coo-ing and touching. We started to see a little bit of smiling. Just a tiny bit...a hint...and it was like liquid gold for us.
When she started to fuss (not cry...big difference from yesterday) I had the feeling she was tired, so I laid her down on her tummy and she was out in seconds. Amazing!
We're feeling our way in the dark with her still...it's been a rough twenty-four hours, but we're seeing some light already.
We'll leave to get breakfast in a bit, and then we're off to the Civil Affairs Office to do all of our paperwork.
If you would, continue to pray for us and for Keira. We'll be in transition mode for a while, probably several months - but these first few days and weeks together are so important for our bonding. Anton and I are still struggling with health issues, so everything feels harder - just being under the weather.
We so appreciate all the wonderful comments and support and encouraging e-mails! It's such a joy to read them and feel held up from the other side of the world.
More soon!
-Christie & Anton
Keira
I know many of you were anxiously awaiting an earlier update of our first moments with Keira - so sorry to make you wait!
Here's the update:
We have Keira!
Ok, ok - you knew that by the header up there with the new pictures!
I'm going to keep this brief (I know, not what you wanted to hear)...
The truth is, Keira is grieving heavily. For a seven month old, she had clearly formed a very strong attachment to her nanny. We were told they slept together. I know this sounds like a funny thing, but her head is perfectly round. Not a flat spot to be found. Translation: she has been in someone's arms A LOT. Someone loved Keira very much...someone cared for her.
While this is a HUGE blessing and certainly an answer to all our prayers for her, now she is dealing full-force with the separation from that wonderful person.
In short, she has cried since the moment we took her. Non-stop. We have had a few very brief moments of distraction for her which has given her a chance to sleep about an hour.
We've been working really hard at letting her grieve, but at the same time giving her a lot of love and attention.
Not gonna lie - very hard day. That's why you haven't read an update until now.
Even as I type this, she is crying hysterically while Anton tries to comfort her.
In case you're concerned (Mom...), we have lots of support and help from the other families and our wonderful guide. We're in good hands, so don't feel sorry for us - we'll be fine. It just takes time. But you can feel badly for Keira. Her whole little world is upside down right now. It's hard to see her so upset. Send prayers...
I've updated some pictures...and we've tried to capture some of the moments when she's not hysterical, but it's been a challenge since they only total about an hour from the entire day. Yikes!
More to come when this settles down...until then, we're in family bonding mode to help her heal. I know you all understand...
xo
Christie & Anton
Here's the update:
We have Keira!
Ok, ok - you knew that by the header up there with the new pictures!
I'm going to keep this brief (I know, not what you wanted to hear)...
The truth is, Keira is grieving heavily. For a seven month old, she had clearly formed a very strong attachment to her nanny. We were told they slept together. I know this sounds like a funny thing, but her head is perfectly round. Not a flat spot to be found. Translation: she has been in someone's arms A LOT. Someone loved Keira very much...someone cared for her.
While this is a HUGE blessing and certainly an answer to all our prayers for her, now she is dealing full-force with the separation from that wonderful person.
In short, she has cried since the moment we took her. Non-stop. We have had a few very brief moments of distraction for her which has given her a chance to sleep about an hour.
We've been working really hard at letting her grieve, but at the same time giving her a lot of love and attention.
Not gonna lie - very hard day. That's why you haven't read an update until now.
Even as I type this, she is crying hysterically while Anton tries to comfort her.
In case you're concerned (Mom...
), we have lots of support and help from the other families and our wonderful guide. We're in good hands, so don't feel sorry for us - we'll be fine. It just takes time. But you can feel badly for Keira. Her whole little world is upside down right now. It's hard to see her so upset. Send prayers...I've updated some pictures...and we've tried to capture some of the moments when she's not hysterical, but it's been a challenge since they only total about an hour from the entire day. Yikes!
More to come when this settles down...until then, we're in family bonding mode to help her heal. I know you all understand...
xo
Christie & Anton
TODAY
Today is Keira Day!
For those of you actually following hourly, here's when you can really be sending your prayers and well-wishes in the general direction of China (and us!) tonight:
(Sunday night for you)
West Coasters 6:30 pm
Central 8:30 pm
East Coasters 9:30 pm
We'll leave shortly for breakfast in the hotel, and then we'll be preparing for our trip over to Civil Affairs.
To our parents: please be sure to have your Skype accounts turned ON for the next day. Otherwise it might be hard to reach you.
Less than five hours and counting...
...it's
.....finally
..........time
-Christie & Anton
For those of you actually following hourly, here's when you can really be sending your prayers and well-wishes in the general direction of China (and us!) tonight:
(Sunday night for you)
West Coasters 6:30 pm
Central 8:30 pm
East Coasters 9:30 pm
We'll leave shortly for breakfast in the hotel, and then we'll be preparing for our trip over to Civil Affairs.
To our parents: please be sure to have your Skype accounts turned ON for the next day. Otherwise it might be hard to reach you.
Less than five hours and counting...
...it's
.....finally
..........time
-Christie & Anton
Days 2 and 3 in China
Sorry for the delay the past two days - there are a few reasons...
1. Internet is dodgy. We have internet, but it's temperamental. Sometimes it's great - and sometimes it's not. And sometimes you just don't want to hassle with it because you're so exhausted and every single thing takes forever to load up. See #2.
2. We're exhausted. I don't want to complain, because obviously it's a trip of a lifetime in so many ways. But let's just break it down, Christie style. We both have bronchitis. I've been sick since before we left with some stomach bug that has set up residence and doesn't seem to be leaving.
I've not had the chance to eat/enjoy very much food at all because I can't bring myself to want to eat. I'm trying, and I've gotten down some granola bars and soup...but it's been hard friends - I can't lie. Aside from loving the sites we have seen and experiencing the culture - the cigarette smoke is all pervasive. It's in the hotel, on the street, in the stores, restaurants, in your hotel room (even in a non-smoking room) - it's just everywhere. So I'm struggling with that a bit. Mainly, because I can't breath to begin with because of the dry hacking bronchitis cough. Anton is doing better than me, and that's really no surprise. He's amazing! His stamina is remarkable.
3. Because we've been on the go SO MUCH since the minute our plane landed - we've hardly had time to do much of anything besides follow the guide. This morning we flew to Changsha, which is where Keira is from and currently resides. So that's great. But our wake up call was 3:30 AM. AM people. After jet lag, and hardly any sleep - that wake up time was very hard. But, we're not alone - there are 8 other families here and doing it right along with us. So, we're all in it together. Also, some of the others are feeling sick as well - and tired...so we comfort each other!
That's all my excuses. Sorry! Didn't mean to leave you hanging for two days!
Now for the update...
First of all, remember you can click the "Calendar" link across the top up there to see what we're doing on any given day while we're in China. There is a complete breakdown.
Second, we're 14 hours ahead of Texas. If you're West Coast, we're 16 hours ahead of you. East, obviously 13 hours. So it's hard for us to find the right time to call family/friends. Hope you all understand! When it's morning here, it's late at night for you and vice versa and so far, we're hardly ever in our hotel rooms.
Our stay in Beijing was fast. We arrived in the evening on Friday, which was my last post. Saturday we went to a lovely breakfast buffet in the hotel and ate with our travel families. Then off we went via bus to visit the Forbidden City and Great Wall of China.
For those I will say this: it was totally worth going - but it was 14 degrees and there was snow and ice everywhere. So that part made it somewhat difficult. We were all troopers (we have SIX children among the NINE families that are here. They kids are doing great! They are already attached to each other and all of them seem to be doing really well. The youngest is five and the oldest is ten. So we all made it through the Forbidden City (which was absolutely fascinating) and right on up until the last 20 minutes. At almost the end of the tour, we all started losing our stamina. It was just too cold to be out there for that long and walking the entire time. Finally, we made it back to the bus to thaw out, warm up, and to head out to eat lunch and do some light shopping.
Afterward, we made our way to the Great Wall of China - and I can see why it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was breathtaking. No, literally. It took my breath away. No, really...I mean - I tried walking up like ten steps and I was so winded and coughing up a storm that Anton had to continue on without me! Ha! He was AWESOME - he made it all the way to the top of where we were standing, and I have to tell you - I was not able to see him at all. That's how high up he climbed. The steps are practically straight up. I could see it was a feat, but he made it! By the time he got all the way back down, I was there cheering for him and he promptly announced that he and his jelly legs would like to sit down. He was exhausted - but for crying out loud, I would have DIED by the first set of steps. Go Anton!! I was so proud of him!
We finally got back to the hotel by 6pm. Quite frankly, we were too tired to even eat dinner and went straight to bed, sleeping until our early morning flight wake up call.
A lot of people have asked if we are talking to Quint, and the answer is yes! We have been able to use Skype to see and talk to him. It's amazing the technology that's available. He's doing great with his grandparents, and I'm quite certain this time apart is much harder on us than him.
So, now we're resting in our room for a bit and perhaps we'll go get some dinner in a while. I've posted pictures that you can see by clicking the word "PICTURES" that's located near the top of this page. There aren't a lot, but you'll get the idea!
I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to find out that a fellow family traveler (Kendel) was/is a long-time blog follower of mine. When we met it was like being old friends, because she knew so much about us already! It's been so great to have a new friend on this trip!
Let's talk about tomorrow! Tomorrow is Keira Day!!
We will be traveling to the Civil Affairs office in the morning to finally meet Keira Joy...it's still hasn't sunk in. You would think being in China and seeing that crib in our hotel room today would have caused the reality to hit us, but it's still unreal in many ways. The other new moms were weepy and crying seeing the cribs. But for me it was more a sigh of relief. Let's get this show on the road!
Truthfully, that might have something to do with the fact that we have a 2 year old and we feel like we just did this! (you know....world travel, crib in the room, jet lag, meeting your new baby and all that wonderful emotion....and that's because we did just do this) So in a way, we're saying to each other "let's sleep! relax! sleep! relax! all while we still can!!" bahahahaha!
And there's truth to that - because she will be here tomorrow, and the clock is ticking away - and that's the reality. In a way, you can let the anxiety go. Because you're here. It's time. It's really, finally time.
So for now, we just sleep and relax and prepare mentally and emotionally for her the best we can. The wait ends tomorrow...and I've waited a long time to type that.
We did get an update on how she's doing today, and it encouraged us quite a bit. Each of the families got one, and seeing how different they all were made me feel that perhaps this is an accurate assessment. So I'll leave you with what it said about our girl:
"Active and extroverted, she is fine with everyone. She gets along well. She is a good girl, very sweet, and easy to please."
Since we'll be holding her in our arms tomorrow...I'll let you know firsthand - xo
Until then...
-Christie
1. Internet is dodgy. We have internet, but it's temperamental. Sometimes it's great - and sometimes it's not. And sometimes you just don't want to hassle with it because you're so exhausted and every single thing takes forever to load up. See #2.
2. We're exhausted. I don't want to complain, because obviously it's a trip of a lifetime in so many ways. But let's just break it down, Christie style. We both have bronchitis. I've been sick since before we left with some stomach bug that has set up residence and doesn't seem to be leaving.
I've not had the chance to eat/enjoy very much food at all because I can't bring myself to want to eat. I'm trying, and I've gotten down some granola bars and soup...but it's been hard friends - I can't lie. Aside from loving the sites we have seen and experiencing the culture - the cigarette smoke is all pervasive. It's in the hotel, on the street, in the stores, restaurants, in your hotel room (even in a non-smoking room) - it's just everywhere. So I'm struggling with that a bit. Mainly, because I can't breath to begin with because of the dry hacking bronchitis cough. Anton is doing better than me, and that's really no surprise. He's amazing! His stamina is remarkable.3. Because we've been on the go SO MUCH since the minute our plane landed - we've hardly had time to do much of anything besides follow the guide. This morning we flew to Changsha, which is where Keira is from and currently resides. So that's great. But our wake up call was 3:30 AM. AM people. After jet lag, and hardly any sleep - that wake up time was very hard. But, we're not alone - there are 8 other families here and doing it right along with us. So, we're all in it together. Also, some of the others are feeling sick as well - and tired...so we comfort each other!
That's all my excuses. Sorry! Didn't mean to leave you hanging for two days!
Now for the update...
First of all, remember you can click the "Calendar" link across the top up there to see what we're doing on any given day while we're in China. There is a complete breakdown.
Second, we're 14 hours ahead of Texas. If you're West Coast, we're 16 hours ahead of you. East, obviously 13 hours. So it's hard for us to find the right time to call family/friends. Hope you all understand! When it's morning here, it's late at night for you and vice versa and so far, we're hardly ever in our hotel rooms.
Our stay in Beijing was fast. We arrived in the evening on Friday, which was my last post. Saturday we went to a lovely breakfast buffet in the hotel and ate with our travel families. Then off we went via bus to visit the Forbidden City and Great Wall of China.
For those I will say this: it was totally worth going - but it was 14 degrees and there was snow and ice everywhere. So that part made it somewhat difficult. We were all troopers (we have SIX children among the NINE families that are here. They kids are doing great! They are already attached to each other and all of them seem to be doing really well. The youngest is five and the oldest is ten. So we all made it through the Forbidden City (which was absolutely fascinating) and right on up until the last 20 minutes. At almost the end of the tour, we all started losing our stamina. It was just too cold to be out there for that long and walking the entire time. Finally, we made it back to the bus to thaw out, warm up, and to head out to eat lunch and do some light shopping.
Afterward, we made our way to the Great Wall of China - and I can see why it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was breathtaking. No, literally. It took my breath away. No, really...I mean - I tried walking up like ten steps and I was so winded and coughing up a storm that Anton had to continue on without me! Ha! He was AWESOME - he made it all the way to the top of where we were standing, and I have to tell you - I was not able to see him at all. That's how high up he climbed. The steps are practically straight up. I could see it was a feat, but he made it! By the time he got all the way back down, I was there cheering for him and he promptly announced that he and his jelly legs would like to sit down. He was exhausted - but for crying out loud, I would have DIED by the first set of steps. Go Anton!! I was so proud of him!
We finally got back to the hotel by 6pm. Quite frankly, we were too tired to even eat dinner and went straight to bed, sleeping until our early morning flight wake up call.
A lot of people have asked if we are talking to Quint, and the answer is yes! We have been able to use Skype to see and talk to him. It's amazing the technology that's available. He's doing great with his grandparents, and I'm quite certain this time apart is much harder on us than him.
So, now we're resting in our room for a bit and perhaps we'll go get some dinner in a while. I've posted pictures that you can see by clicking the word "PICTURES" that's located near the top of this page. There aren't a lot, but you'll get the idea!
I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to find out that a fellow family traveler (Kendel) was/is a long-time blog follower of mine. When we met it was like being old friends, because she knew so much about us already! It's been so great to have a new friend on this trip!
Let's talk about tomorrow! Tomorrow is Keira Day!!
We will be traveling to the Civil Affairs office in the morning to finally meet Keira Joy...it's still hasn't sunk in. You would think being in China and seeing that crib in our hotel room today would have caused the reality to hit us, but it's still unreal in many ways. The other new moms were weepy and crying seeing the cribs. But for me it was more a sigh of relief. Let's get this show on the road!
Truthfully, that might have something to do with the fact that we have a 2 year old and we feel like we just did this! (you know....world travel, crib in the room, jet lag, meeting your new baby and all that wonderful emotion....and that's because we did just do this) So in a way, we're saying to each other "let's sleep! relax! sleep! relax! all while we still can!!" bahahahaha!
And there's truth to that - because she will be here tomorrow, and the clock is ticking away - and that's the reality. In a way, you can let the anxiety go. Because you're here. It's time. It's really, finally time.
So for now, we just sleep and relax and prepare mentally and emotionally for her the best we can. The wait ends tomorrow...and I've waited a long time to type that.
We did get an update on how she's doing today, and it encouraged us quite a bit. Each of the families got one, and seeing how different they all were made me feel that perhaps this is an accurate assessment. So I'll leave you with what it said about our girl:
"Active and extroverted, she is fine with everyone. She gets along well. She is a good girl, very sweet, and easy to please."
Since we'll be holding her in our arms tomorrow...I'll let you know firsthand - xo
Until then...
-Christie
Beijing at Last
Oh my friends...it has been such a long journey. But we are here, we are safe, and we are getting ready to eat and rest after 24 hours of travel time.
Truthfully, I thought the flight would never end. But end it did, and after three check-points, we made it to our guide and driver. An hour long commute to the hotel in crazy traffic. A half hour hotel check-in process.
And here I am. Writing to all of you...
It's 6:20 Friday evening here in China, but early in the morning back home.
It's hard to be apart from Quint, but part of that is also jet-lag, exhaustion...and oh, did I forget to mention? We're both sick. It's the royal pits!
Still, we're making the most of our experience so far - and really love what we've seen in the past few hours. The airport was gorgeous. The drive over reminded us of New York - landscape wise. The hotel is just like any other hotel you've stayed in - nice, comfortable. We have a great view of the very noisy city from ten floors up. The beds are extremely firm, but we're so tired that we're beyond caring. Being horizontal is the goal at present.
Anton went to exchange some US Dollars and purchase some bottled water. We'll be calling it a very early night, hopefully. Our stay here is brief. We'll tour the Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc. etc. tomorrow. That will be a long cold day - but it's exciting to see all these things we've only heard about from others.
Sunday, which is Saturday back home, we fly to Keira's province in Changsha. Monday (Sunday back home) we finally get the chance to hold and kiss our girl.
I hope family/friends will forgive the lack of phone calls just yet. We're simply too exhausted. I felt like I would drop just waiting down in the lobby for a room key. We look as bad as we feel, and that's being kind. Maybe tomorrow night?
All that said, we are finally here. There are really no words for how relieved we felt leaving the airport for the hotel. So many miles to get here...not just physical miles either...
Love and hugs from China!
Christie & Anton
Truthfully, I thought the flight would never end. But end it did, and after three check-points, we made it to our guide and driver. An hour long commute to the hotel in crazy traffic. A half hour hotel check-in process.
And here I am. Writing to all of you...
It's 6:20 Friday evening here in China, but early in the morning back home.
It's hard to be apart from Quint, but part of that is also jet-lag, exhaustion...and oh, did I forget to mention? We're both sick. It's the royal pits!
Still, we're making the most of our experience so far - and really love what we've seen in the past few hours. The airport was gorgeous. The drive over reminded us of New York - landscape wise. The hotel is just like any other hotel you've stayed in - nice, comfortable. We have a great view of the very noisy city from ten floors up. The beds are extremely firm, but we're so tired that we're beyond caring. Being horizontal is the goal at present.
Anton went to exchange some US Dollars and purchase some bottled water. We'll be calling it a very early night, hopefully. Our stay here is brief. We'll tour the Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc. etc. tomorrow. That will be a long cold day - but it's exciting to see all these things we've only heard about from others.
Sunday, which is Saturday back home, we fly to Keira's province in Changsha. Monday (Sunday back home) we finally get the chance to hold and kiss our girl.
I hope family/friends will forgive the lack of phone calls just yet. We're simply too exhausted. I felt like I would drop just waiting down in the lobby for a room key. We look as bad as we feel, and that's being kind. Maybe tomorrow night?
All that said, we are finally here. There are really no words for how relieved we felt leaving the airport for the hotel. So many miles to get here...not just physical miles either...
Love and hugs from China!
Christie & Anton
Travel Blog
Well, here we are. Traveling in less than a week, and still drowning in details. Just a quick note to let you all know a little about the travel site and how it will work.
Here is where you'll find the updates about our travel. I'll post as often as I can, or have AB do it.
Along the top you'll see the tabs for: Home / Pictures / Calendar / Watch Videos
You're "Home" right now. Click the "Pictures" tab to see updated pictures from China each day. Click the "Calendar" to figure out where we are on any given day and what we're doing. Click the "Watch Videos" to check out uploaded cuteness from our girl as we have it.
See how easy that is?
Oh! And one more thing...leave you wonderful comments to encourage us on the "Guestbook" option underneath these family posts. Scroll down if you don't see it. We would love to hear from each of you while we travel. When we went to Ethiopia, there were some dark and difficult moments, and your comments really did bring me back up and help me focus. So bring on the cheer!
Updates will continue over at Bushel and a Peck until we actually leave for China, which is Thursday the 14th. We arrive the 15th in Beijing - so we'll see if I can crank out a post that evening from our hotel - and if I can, you'll find it right here. Bookmark us!!!
Love and hugs!
Christie